Summer Internship Series: Michela North Edition

As I look around the office I see a dead bird, some delicious cherry fruit pies in a box, and 4 fans on high power trying to create some sort of relief from the heat. The floors are dusty and the walls are made of old bricks, but that’s what gives us character. We wouldn’t be a true non-profit startup if we had AC and brand new desks to furnish this old warehouse, now would we? These little things however can go unnoticed to anyone working here because of the work that we do. I have a laptop, iPhone, fans, and fresh water all around me. And when I think about the kids in Rwanda that have so much less, I quickly realize that this office is just fine. We may not have the cleanest or most refreshing headquarters around, but I do believe that we do some of the best work in the world.

This Fall I will be a junior at Tufts University where I play on the Women’s Basketball Team. The past two years we have gone to the Final Four, but unfortunately lost both times. Hopefully we can make it back there again and finally win the whole thing! This year I was selected for the All-tournament team at the Final Four (only 5 people are selected) as well as being an All- American honorable mention! I was also named to the Second Team All-Nescac and lead my team in points and rebounds per game!

I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies. I love taking Psychology classes and learning about human behavior in relation to how the brain works. People watching in public is one of my favorite activities, and I love analyzing different social concepts and interactions people have on a daily basis. My ELS minor is also very interesting because it helps me explore the business world. In my Entrepreneurial Leadership and Business class we created our own start-ups with a brand new product. We then had to create an entire business plan complete with profit and loss statements, a financial model, revenue projections, and an entire pitch deck for our presentation at the end of the year. This class truly opened my eyes to how much work goes into starting a business from the ground up. I can’t wait to continue this minor and learn more about marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship.

My title here at Shooting Touch is the “Social Media Intern”. This means that just about anything you see on our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook was posted and created by me (with the exception of videos). Each week I plan out things that I can put out to the public whether it has to do with G3, Rwanda, the Gala, an inside look at our office, or some motivation for the week. I try to find interesting articles and videos to share on Facebook while also trying to relate it to our mission of educating and inspiring youth around the world. I use Photoshop to create info-graphics with statistics or quotes to go with any of our pictures from here and abroad. Some pictures are just to get information out to the public while others aim to pull people in and tug at heart strings. Each picture and post can serve a different purpose and it’s my job to decide which way to go with it.

My goal for the summer is to grow our following on all forms of social media and create a marketing strategy for Shooting Touch to continue using for the rest of the year. On June 1st when I started we had 370 Instagram followers, 1,650 Twitter followers, and 3,850 likes on Facebook. In the 3 weeks I have been working here we have gatherer 100 more Instagram followers, 50 more Twitter followers, and 200 more Facebook likes. Hopefully I can continue to gain likes and followers by creating interesting content and interactive posts so people can stay engaged and share it with their friends.

Working for Shooting Touching is a humbling and rewarding experience where I can explore and learn about marketing, start-ups, and other digital media, which is exactly what I was looking for. I am slowly realizing that every single thing I post has the potential to help kids around the world. Each new follower is a potential donation that can in turn change a child’s life. Every time someone shares our page or likes a picture, the more support we gain. With more support from people all over the world, we have a greater chance of making a lasting impact for kids in Rwanda and right here in Boston!